Back in the 1960s, Sam Walton started his Wal-Mart stores exclusively in small towns. His thinking was there was big money in small communities, business that larger department stores were missing out on. Not only was Walton right, but Wal-Mart grew to be the largest retailer in the world based on that small town philosophy.
Today, a similar thing is happening in the news media. The major TV networks, cable news channels, large daily newspapers, and search engines like Google dominate national and international news.
But when it comes to your local news -- the accident on the corner, the events at your child's school, or issues that concern your property taxes -- the big media outlets can't even begin to cover those stories.
Sure, you're interested in what is going on in Iraq and Washington, but I'm willing to bet you're even more interested in what is going on in your own community and neighborhood.
And publishers are starting to figure this out. Small town newspapers and neighborhood publications are generating big interest and handsome profits from advertisers.
Now advancing online technology is making it easier than ever to publish your own newspaper. Web site technology interfacing with database software is able to let anyone easily click their way to a full-featured, professional looking online newspaper.
You don't need to know any HTML or spend hours creating your online pages. Everything is in a simple point-and-click format.
Your newspaper can include everything from a news section to display ads to a complete classified ad section that lets readers place their own ads and send you payment.
Do you see some BIG possibilities? Ezine publishers can now load all their information and ads online to create their own smart looking newspaper. Their ezine's short ads can now link to longer ads, even entire sales letters, hosted on their newspaper pages.
Small and medium market newspaper publishers can easily put their publication online, avoiding the huge web design and database creation costs publishers faced even a few years ago. Publishers can avoid the high cost of paper and printing while expanding their information in their online newspaper where size and length is cheap and unlimited.
Do you have a strong interest in an issue, publish a bulletin for your church, or pass out information on your industry? Your own online newspaper would be just the ticket to help you get your knowledge out while expanding your reach and influence.
When two important trends collide, sparks fly and big things happen. That's what we're seeing today as the move toward local news AND the awesome capabilities of online publication technology join to create nothing short of a new media revolution.
